Chuck Etheridge
English 2340/4340: Studies in a Major Author
May Term 2003
English 2340/4340:
Hemingway
Tentative Syllabus and Course Description
This course will provide an in-depth study of one of our country's most well known and controversial literary figures. To some, Ernest Hemingway occupies the first rank of American literature; to others, he is emblematic of everything that is wrong with America and its culture. We will read his most significant novels and will sample his short fiction; we will also study his place in the Modern tradition, we will (personally, according to our own tastes and aesthetics) determine his place within the literary canon, and we will explore the influence he has had on American literature.
Texts:
Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises.
---. A Farewell to Arms.
---. To Have and Have Not..
---. The Old Man and the Sea.
---. The Garden of Eden.
---. Men Without Women.
Some Internet Sites that May Prove Useful
CNN's
Hemingway Retrospective
Picturing
Hemingway: A Writer in His Time
Hemingway Resource Center
Timeless Hemingway
Ernest
Hemingway Campfire Chat
Ernest Hemingway's
Centennial
Salute to Ernest
Hemingway
Tracking
Hemingway
Nuts and Bolts
Your grade will be an average of the following components:
Quizzes
1 Major
Paper
Exams
Presentation
(for those enrolled for upper-division credit)
Quizzes
Our major business in this class is to read. In order to encourage you to do so and in order to reward your diligence, we will have an objective quiz virtually every class period. If you have done the reading, these quizzes will seem very easy. If you have not, not only will you do poorly, you will have to suffer through one of the most boring things possible--a lengthy discussion of something you haven't read. At the end of the semester, all of these will be averaged together to form a major grade. I will drop your three lowest performances. If you miss class due to illness or personal emergency, you may make up the quiz. If you miss the quiz because you are late, you will not be allowed to make it up.
Papers
You will have one major paper:
The essay will be an analysis of a theme, idea character, or issue (Hemingway and women, Hemingway and sport, Hemingway and Spanish culture) that is central to our author's work. It should be 8-10 pages, also in MLA format, should deal with at least three works, and should have documentation from secondary sources (if you don't know what I mean, I'll talk about it more).
Presentations
If you are enrolled in the course for upper-division credit, you will need to do a presentation. Your presentation task will be to either teach one of the short stories we will read for class, or one aspect of one of the longer works we are examining. Presentation should be approximately 20 minutes long, should be REAEARCHED—using books in the library as well as articles you might find, should be well organized, insightful, and interesting. Presentation topics will be assigned on the first day of class.
Tutorials
As part of the business of the class, you will be asked to complete one tutorial
for each of the long novels we are reading.
These are due BEFORE CLASS on the day we finish that particular novel. Tutorials may be accessed at: http://cs1.mcm.edu/~cetheridge/form.htm When you finish each, click on the ‘Submit’
button, which cause your computer to automatically e-mail your work to me and
will generate a ‘summary screen,’ which you will want to print and
keep for your records. Submitting your
tutorial automatically turns it in to me.
Exams
You will have one examination. It will be in two parts, an objective portion, which will ask you to identify the key terms or literary figures as well as identify important passages from the work we've read , and an essay portion, which will ask you to demonstrate how important ideas are dealt with in individual literary works. About a week before the exam, I will provide detailed review sheets designed to help you prepare. I do not "do" make up exams except in the highly unusual event of an excused absence on the day of the exam.
Attendance and Tardy Policy
You need to make every reasonable effort to attend every class; this is May Term, so every class period ‘counts’ as a week of class in the long semester. Absences will be excused with proper documentation (i.e. doctor’s note). If you have some sort of personal emergency, such as an illness or death in the family, please notify student affairs and they will arrange for you to make up any missed work
NOTE: If you accumulate any absences that are unexcused, I reserve the right to penalize your grade. If you miss two or more classes for any reason, I may ask you to drop.
Tardies: If I can get myself and two small children to school on time, you can get here by eight-thirty. Expect little sympathy; "my alarm didn't go off" will elicit laughter but little else. If you come after your name is called on the roll, you will be considered tardy. Two tardies count as an unexcused absence.
In Conclusion
This should be a worthwhile and enjoyable class. You can count on me to do
three things. I will read everything you have to, so depending on the work, we
will either enjoy or suffer together. I will endeavor to make class as
interesting and as stimulating as possible. Finally, I am here to help you, but
I cannot do so unless you let me know when you need help.
|
5-12 Introduction to the Course; Introduction to ‘The Code’; Biographical Materials. "Up in Michigan.," Hand Out. |
5-13 The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" (Hand Out); "Hills Like White Elephants," “The Undefeated” in Men Without Women. |
5-14 The Sun Also Rises |
5-15 Finish The Sun Also Rises |
5-16 “A Clean Well-Lighted Place," Hand Out, "In Another Country, " “Now I Lay Me,” “Today is Friday,” in Men. |
|
5-19 Farewell to Arms |
5-20 A Farewell to Arms |
5-21 Finish A Farewell to Arms “An Alpine Idyll,” in Men. |
5-22 To Have and Have Not. |
5-23 Finish To Have and Have Not
|
|
5-26 Memorial Day |
5-27 The Old Man and the Sea. Paper Due. |
5-28 The Garden of Eden |
5-29 Finish The Garden of Eden |
5-30 “Fifty Grand” in Men. Final Examination. |